Lucys Story – Chapter 87

Oh, my poor dad! The other night he went out to the couch to get some sleep cause my mom was snoring. (I really, really felt bad for him, but it did give me more room to stretch out.)

It was the middle of the night and he was awfully tired. All he wanted was a good nights sleep. So, what happened was an accident and accidents can happen to anyone, right? Here is my dads sad, sad tail, whoops, I mean tale.

In our living room there is a small wall with all kinds of clocks on it and yep, they all work. There is one older clock that tick-tocks very loudly. And it just so happens that it is my moms favorite cause it shows the date and day and as she once told me, Lucy, they simply dont make clocks like this anymore.’

That noisy clock was keeping my dad awake, so he took it off the wall and put it in a soundproof spot that was close by, and was finally able to get some sleep.

Flash forward 2 days. Me and my mom were in the kitchen making supper. She does the work and I do the supervising! She got the dishes out of the cupboard, turned the oven on, and got the rest of the table ready for supper. We started to tell each other how our day went when all of a sudden my mom, just boom, stopped talking and then hollered as she ran to the oven, What is that SMELL?

If anyone out there runs across a round wall clock that shows the date and day at a resale shop somewhere can you please let me know at abfscimino@yahoo.com.

My dad would really appreciate it.

Till next time!~Lucy

Spring Flower Show

This Weekend

Come on out to Americas Best Flowers Spring Flower show (AKA Open House) this weekend. Join us for a hot dog and popcorn from 11  3 on Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19.

While youre here take a stroll through our twenty greenhouses full of natures beauty!

If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place, What place would you be in now? You would be in 2nd. Well, you passed the person in second place, not first.

Flavorful herbs coming to your neighborhood!

Besides the fact that its so easy to grow your own herbs, its just way cool to walk out your back door and snip a little rosemary, thyme, oregano or basil (and the list goes on) for your fabulous recipes. Dont forget about the parsley and the chive to toss in a tasty green salad.

Come on out Saturday, April 18, from 10-3 for our Herb Container workshop. Well show you how easy it is to do-it-yourself! You are welcome to bring your own containers from home (minus any potting soil or dirt of any kind). Or you can choose from our wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes of containers to plant your herb garden in.

To participate in our container workshops and receive FREE POTTING SOIL AND ASSISTANCE, a minimum purchase of $10.00 is required and you must use plants purchased at America’s Best Flowers.

Brian, one of the worlds greatest hypochondriacs, bumped into his Dr. one day at the supermarket. Doc! Brian exclaimed, Ive been meaning to tell you, remember those voices I kept on hearing in my head? I havent heard them in over a week! Wow! What wonderful news Brian! Im so happy for you! his Dr. exclaimed. Wonderful? asked a dismal looking Brian. Theres nothing wonderful about it. Im afraid my hearing is starting to go now!

Are you interested in learning a life-saving skill?

Americas Best Flowers is teaming up with Fevolden Farm LLC to teach Compression Only CPR (Hands Only CPR) throughout the day on Saturday, April 18, 2015 between 10 and 3.

Tom and Ginny Olson will be on site to provide hands-on training on CPR, the Heimlich maneuver for relief of choking, and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). There will be no charge for this training and it is open to anyone 10 years of age and older. Just drop in and learn. Expected time commitment  15-30 minutes.

In addition to their experience with alpacas and alpaca products, Tom & Ginny have many years of experience in the health care field. Ginny has over 20 years experience in critical care as a Registered Nurse followed by 10 years as a Nurse Infomaticist at the Madison VA Hospital. Tom has over 30 years experience teaching safety and emergency response classes at Madison College and the Madison VA Hospital. Both are retired volunteer Deer-Grove EMTs and have been teaching CPR for over 30 years as certified instructors for the American Heart Association.

Get your garden tools sharpened this weekend!

Don, from Universal Saw & Tool Sharpening, will be here both Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19, from 9-3 and will, for a nominal fee (collected by Don) sharpen those dull garden tools, lawn mower blades, tin snips, and more. Look for our signs in the parking lot directing you to the drop off area in Greenhouse #7.

Don will be able to sharpen most items while you are enjoying your time at the greenhouse. For more difficult sharpening Don may need to take your items back to his shop. They may then be picked up at Americas Best Flowers the following week.

How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet? There is no dirt in a hole.

You Cant Get Here from There

If there was ever a city where the title of this article is true, its Madison, Wisconsin. The five lakes that surround us make going in a straight line from one place to another impossible. With summer approaching and the work crews once again out in force trying to keep our roads safe and drive-able, getting around gets even more complicated.

The road construction on Cottage Grove Rd and Stoughton Rd (Hwy 51) may change the route some of you will take to get to the greenhouse this year. See this article for information. Since Southbound entrance and exit ramps onto 51 will be closed, those coming from the north will need to get off Hwy 51 at the Milwaukee Street exit. Go left (east) at the bottom of the exit ramp and stay on Milwaukee St. until you get to Sprecher Rd. Turn right (south) go to the first stop light, which is Cottage Grove Rd. Turn left (east) go 1 mile and then take a right (south) on Vilas Hope Rd. We are down one half mile on the right. Hope to see you soon!!

Flowers for Early Spring

Mother Nature has been testing our patience, but Spring seems to be here at last. Inside our greenhouses our cool season annual plants of Snapdragon and Dianthus are starting to bloom. Snapdragons and dianthus have brightly colored flowers that are especially profuse in cooler weather. Both provide months of color ranging from pale pastels to vibrant oranges and reds.

Even though it is the third week in April, it is safe to plant them outdoors. Come see us and pick out your favorite varieties with colors galore. Pansies also make great companions to Snapdragons and Dianthus. Take some home to plant in your gardens to make a statement that Spring has finally arrived!

Q. What has a bottom at its top? A. A leg.

Associate of the Week: Spike

By Judy

Our associate of the week is Spike who has worked for us the last 3 years and also worked for Edgerton Floral for 15 years as head grower. He is the General Manager of our Americas Best Flowers at our Edgerton Floral location. He continues to be our head grower as well as doing customer service and taking care of the greenhouses there.

Spike enjoys seeing the look of awe on the customers face when they come into the greenhouse for the first time in the spring. Seeing the wonderment on their faces of a filled greenhouse full of color makes all of the time and hard work that he puts in worth it.

His favorites in the greenhouse are the big full baskets and geraniums that are his growing specialty at our Edgerton location. He also grows, with loving care, our big, beautiful poinsettias that we offer during the Christmas season.

In Spikes spare time he enjoys hunting and fishing and, of course, everything Badgers, Brewers and Packers.

Send Irene your gardening questions!

Americas Best Flowers wants to help you succeed in your gardening efforts. If you have gardening questions send an email to Irene, at abfirene@gmail.com. Irene will get back to you promptly. Let America’s Best Flowers be your go-to greenhouse for answers.

A man died and went to The Judgment, where they told him, Before you meet with God, I should tell you  weve looked over your life, and to be honest you really didnt do anything particularly good or bad. Were not really sure what to do with you. Can you tell us anything you did that can help us make a decision? The newly arrived soul thought for a moment and replied, Yeah, once I was driving along and came upon a person who was being harassed by a group of thugs. So I pulled over, got out a bat, and went up to the leader of the thugs. He was a big, muscular guy with a ring pierced through his lip. Well, I tore the ring out of his lip, and told him he and his gang had better stop bothering this guy or they would have to deal with me! Wow thats impressive, When did this happen? About three minutes ago, came the reply.

Upcoming Events

Sat, Apr 18 – Sun, Apr 19

Spring Flower Show

9am-6pm We have your all-time favorite plants plus a few new ones for the season and a HUGE selection of new pottery.

Sat, Apr 18

Herb Container Workshop

10am-3pm  FREE soil and assistance. Create your own herb garden. Bring in your own EMPTY containers or buy some of ours.

Our Kitchen

Last week Judy motioned me over to her desk, handed me a spoon and held out a steaming bowl of soup for me to taste. Just the look of it, the rich broth filled with beef and vegetables, made my stomach growl. The first words out of my mouth after tasting it were, I need that recipe for the newsletter. The next day it was on my desk, waiting for me to share it with you. This is a delicious crock pot soup that only takes a few minutes to assemble in the morning and will beckon you to dinner with its wonderful aroma when you arrive home. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

1# ground beef

1 16 oz can tomato sauce

1 pkg dry Lipton Onion soup

4 C water

1 10 oz pkgs frozen mixed vegetables

¼ c brown sugar, or to taste **

2 bay leaves

Directions

Brown beef in skillet and drain.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot.

Cook on low 6-8 hours, or in large pot on top of the stove until done.